Valverde: Barca still trust in La Masia

Barcelona Coach Ernesto Valverde has insisted the club has not forgotten about their La Masia youth system despite heavy transfer spending.

Philippe Coutinho has arrived in a deal worth a reported €160m while Yerry Mina looks set to follow after a summer in which there was heavy investment in Paulinho and Ousmane Dembele.

“Barcelona's model has always been the same,” Valverde told reporters on Wednesday, in quotes cited by ESPN.

“They have always gone to the transfer market to sign the best players in the world. Many of the very best players have played here.

“At the same time, we always try to look at the academy, we want to bring players up based on their style of play and their development.

“You have to remember, we have been through a generation with special players like Xavi and Iniesta and sometimes more players will come through from the academy; sometimes there will be less. But we also need to sign players to keep ourselves at the top.”

Tags Ernesto Valverde
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